Taylor/Pavlik Is On!
By Boxing News July 24th, 2007Undisputed and Undefeated World Middleweight Champion Jermain “Bad Intentions� Taylor will make the fifth defense of his two-year title reign when he faces the stiff test of number 1 contender (WBC, WBO) Kelly “The Ghost� Pavlik on Saturday night, September 29, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it was announced today by Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.
“Taylor/Pavlik is a classic middleweight showdown, a true throwback fight,� said DiBella. “The tickets are reasonably priced and are already in high demand with a significant casino presale. Any fight fan wanting to see this historic battle should act fast and purchase their tickets as soon as possible.�
“This is going to be a terrific fight, something that boxing really needs. The eyes of the sporting world will be watching these two great fighters in Atlantic City on Sept. 29,” said Bob Arum, CEO, Top Rank.
Taylor, the favorite son of Arkansas, has successfully defended his middleweight crown against legendary Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks since first taking the title from Hopkins in 2005.
HBO Sports World Championship Boxing will televise the world championship bout live at 10:15 p.m. ET/ 7:15 p.m. PT.
Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KO’s) has yet to taste defeat since turning professional in 2000. Pavlik, likewise undefeated, gets his first chance at a championship on the heels of a spectacular knockout victory over Edison Miranda. No. 1 rated by both the WBC and WBO, Youngstown, Ohio’s undefeated Pavlik is a bona fide knockout artist, registering 28 KO’s in 31 career triumphs as a professional.
Taylor first captured the undisputed middleweight championship against the legendary Bernard Hopkins on July 17, 2005 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, with a 12 round split decision triumph, and defended the title for the first time against Hopkins on December 3, 2005 at Mandalay Bay in Vegas with a unanimous decision victory. Taylor has since defended his title twice in 2006, first in Memphis in a controversial draw against Winky Wright on June 9, and last December 9 defeating former champion Kassim Ouma in Little Rock. Cory Spinks was next on the Taylor checklist, and Jermain was up to the challenge once again with a unanimous decision triumph in Memphis on May 19.
Tickets, priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, will go on sale on Wednesday, July 25th and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
July 25th, 2007 at 5:41 am
Alright!! I’m glad this one got made, and it’s not on PPV.
Early prediction- Pavlik wins fight, Taylor gets the decision (if it makes it to the cards). Either way, this should be a close one. JT had a couple stinker fights but he has a big heart, Ghost is gonna give him a hell of a fight!
July 25th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Pavlik by 10th round TKO
July 26th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
pavlik is gonna absolutely destroy taylor , i don’t see him going the distance, if he does he will take the beating of lifetime , sorry to sound like such a hater but JT is garbage i don’t think he even beat cory spinks . He is 1-4 in his last 5 thats why people call him bad decsisions.
July 26th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
It’s time for JT to show he’s for real. He had good, close fights with B-Hop and Wright who were P4P fighters at the time. JT got by in those fights with his youth, size, and heart. But now he’s got a big, strong, young fighter in front of him in Pavlik.
Prior to winning the title, JT would control fights with his telephone pole left jab. He would then follow that jab with a good, had right hand, but in his last few fights his technique seems to have regressed. Not only is he not throwing jabs and straight right hands, he’s being backed up by smaller men. If he can revert to his old form, he beats Pavlik. If JT fights like he has recently, he’s getting knocked out by Ghost.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:32 am
When’s the last time this division had a break-through star to get excited about? The championship was tied up for years with Bernard Hopkins, a certified all-time great but never one to get the heart racing, and now with Jermain Taylor. I really think Kelly Pavlik is a star in the making, and his fight with Taylor will be his coming-out party. Look for this fight to be close for six rounds, then for Pavlik to explode with a devastating knockout over the champion.
August 8th, 2007 at 8:43 am
I smell some White hope in the air, well, guys be prepared for another let down. Pavlik (Cooney ) is ok but you will definetly see a Jermain (Holmes) put a butt whooping put on Kelly (Cooney) Pavlik. To the Lampley’s, Merchant’s and all the hopefulls praying for Pavlik Cooney to win just remember he beat a true bum in Miranda no where near a Jermain Taylor. In your need for a hope you have pushed this kid Pavlik Cooney into a world of Dam maybe I should have waited for Jermain to get old, like all my other hopeful brothers did before they were embarressed and destroyed.
August 14th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
The Pavlik-Cooney comparison is not valid because unlike Cooney, Pavlik can take a wallop. I’m a white guy not ashamed to admit that I rooted for the white boxers back in the seventies because there were so few of them. Now there are enough good white fighters that I don’t care. But you’re right, Taylor will win. Pavlik’s people are in love with success and have failed to make a complete fighter of him. He’s got a four foot jab he doesn’t bother with, and they don’t seem to care if he gets hit. How he takes the loss will determine his future–it could destroy his spirit, or teach him some boxing.